Independence Day: Resurgence Director Calls Marvel Movies "Silly"

Roland Emmerich is known for his huge sci-fi blockbusters, but that doesn't mean he wants to be compared to other big geek franchises. In a recent interview with The Guardian, the director criticized superhero movies, particularly the Marvel formula, as "silly," primarily because he doesn't like people in capes:

"When you look at my movies it's always the regular Joe Schmo that's the unlikely hero. A lot of Marvel movies, they show people in funny suits running around. I don't like people in capes. I find it silly when someone dons a superhero suit and flies. I don't understand it. I grew up in Germany, that's probably why."

It seems a little strange for Emmerich to turn up his nose at Marvel, not only because they're so successful in so many ways, but because Independence Day isn't exactly a movie for film snobs, for better and for worse. But to be fair, he seems to mostly be talking about his own personal preferences for movies, rather than attempting to be objective in any way.

In the interview, Emmerich also discussed LGBT representation in his films. The openly gay director has been criticized for social justice issues before, particularly whitewashing accusations for his historical drama Stonewall, and has never had an LGBT lead. But he said that he thought it was "time," and that he currently has an LGBT couple among the supporting characters in Independence Day: Resurgence.

"Sure, why not?" he said when asked about casting a gay or trans lead in a sci-fi blockbuster. "Right now I have a gay couple in [Independence Day: Resurgence]. It's time for it. It would be very interesting to see if the studios go for it. You have to write a script they all want to have. I do this a lot. I write these movies myself, I finance them myself and then I send them to every studio at once. We call this an auction. We give them a budget and I will direct it. It's pretty clear what these films are and, naturally, there are always two or three studios who need tentpole movies, so they bid for it and you get quite amazing freedom to make these movies exactly [how] you want. That's what has to happen for a movie like that. And if one is successful then it's not a taboo anymore."